Night Time Music!

My son doesn't go to sleep to music. He goes to sleep to a talk radio station. It seems to calm him down since it's like someone is in the room talking to him.

My kids (10 and 7) have listened to music everynight since they were babies. My 10 yr old now listens to KLOS before going to bed (lol) and my 7 year old listens to cds (right now he's into Jimmy Buffett's "Parakeet Album" http://www.amazon.com/Parakeet-Album-Song-Jimmy-Buffett/d.... When they were babies my favorite cd was (and still is) "Dream Angels-Famous Orchestral Lullabies." I couldn't find it on Amazon, but found one on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/BestOffer-Various-Dreamangels-Famous-...
It is such a wonderfully beautiful cd, I used to give it to all my pregnant friends. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Another one of my favorites is "Sleep Baby, Sleep," by Nicolette Larson. These are lullabies we never get tired of. We have many, many other cds, but these are by far our two favorite. I'll be saving them for our grandkids!

My boys have never had problems going to sleep withOUT music, it's just a nice way to send them off to dreamland.

Hi M.,
I was advised to not put my baby to sleep with music because if they wake up during the night and the music has stopped, they might not be able to fall back to sleep as easily. I have never really used music. On the other hand, I do turn a fan on in my daughter's room so it drowns out the noise in the rest of the house. Maybe that would be a good alternative...good luck.

Hi- Our oldest son is 6.5 years & has gone to sleep w/music his whole life. He has a tape player. Our 2 year old son goes to sleep w/music as well. He has an aquarium (made by Fisher-Price) attached to the side of his crib. The tape player & aquarium are small so we can travel w/both of them. It's very soothing & relaxing for them. It's part of their bedtime routine. Our younger son turns the 'fishy' (as we call it) on himself to signal bed/nap time. They don't wake up at night cuz the music is off & it's never been a problem for us. Is there a particular reason you want to break your daughter of the habit? If it's helping soothe her & get to sleep, then, I don't really see a need to break her of it.

My son is the same way, he loves to listen to music when he is sleeping. I do not think that it is a problem, just keep the volume low so that it is not too loud. I had a boyfriend once who had to listen to music to fall asleep, but he had to have it loud which was very annoying. But if the music is set at a low volume, it is actually very relaxing.

M. *~

Dear M.,

I think that going to sleep with music is a wonderful thing. You can slip in some classical tunes too. That will give her a life long love of all types of music. I remember that when I was young we had one small radio in the dining room on the buffet and it played the normal music of the 30's and early 40's and I still love to hear that music and somehow remember most of the words.

C. N.

No need to stop the music. It not only helps the baby drift off to sleep,it helps develop their cognitive development. My daughter has been in baby music and sign classes since she was 6 months old. She LOVES music througout the day and asks for it often. At night time, and nap time, I use the same lighted mobile in her crib as I rock her and it turns off within 5 or 10 minutes. It's a great gift and we take it with us when traveling.

I have recently started to play night time music for my son. It works WONDERS.... Puts him right to sleep :) I think it is a great way to relax your child from a busy day and send them into a peaceful sleep. Keep it up!!!

My son uses his music box to go to sleep, I don't see what it can hurt! As far as him not being able to soothe himself back to sleep without it at night, it has never been a problem. In fact, it is the type that attaches to the crib and he has recently fingured out how to work it and will turn it on himself.

I think music can be very soothing to a child. My girls are now 7 and they have had music on every night since they were very, very little. They have listened to everything from Classical Disney to ocean sounds to children's books on CD! Velveteen Rabbit is their favorite! Now they take turns picking their own music and I judge the 'tempo' by their mood going to bed that night. I obviously won't let them pick something upbeat if I don't think they'll calm down enough to go to sleep. But most of the time they just sing along for a couple songs and then relax enough to rest. I also use it as a tool when they aren't being good too! I will take away the music if they won't behave and that is something that works wonders! They love their music more than anything and really do enjoy it to go to sleep by, so to lose it is something that really is critical! Personally, I think music is good on so many levels.

Hi, I have used music for my son to relax to while he is drifting off to sleep. I change the CD every now & then, but he likes it so much he sings the lullabye when it is time to go to bed. If he wakes up, and I know about it, I can always re-start the music & he will usually go right back to sleep. If he wakes up & I don't know about it, then I expect he is able to get himself back to sleep without it!

He also has a crib toy, an aquarium that makes music, ocean sounds (his favorite) and motion, all with buttons he can control to turn it on & off. This is a very helpful thing for him to use to soothe himself if he wakes up or is having trouble falling asleep. (he is two now)This is one toy I would definitely recommend for any baby! A great gift, that's how we got it.

Children need to have a routine. If music is part of their routine then no need to change it!

Hi!

Music is a great and widely recommended way of soothing your child to sleep - it basically serves the same purpose as white noise, and is a signal to the child that it is time to relax and drift off to sleep. Unlike the use of a binky as a sleep soother and inducer, playing soft music allows the child to learn how to put themselves to sleep without help. There is nothing wrong or detrimental about using music, and there is no reason for you to "break" her of the habit - it can be a life saver when traveling, as you can always buy a small music player and get your child to sleep no matter where you are. Most parents dream of having a tried and true method to get their child to sleep in any situation, so count yourself lucky!

From my birth on, my own mother played classical music on a little radio in my room - I continued to use classical music to help relax me to sleep all through HS and college, and even now, hearing classical music still has a very calming effect on me. So use the music, there is nothing wrong with exposing even the youngest child to the joy of music, and what it can do for you!

My husband plays his ukulele for the girls at bedtime, but when his schedule changed, and he was often not at home at bedtime, I put a soft CD on for the kids. That way, I can watch TV and they are not bothered by the "background noise". We can bring the music along when we travel, and it gives them the familiar sounds of home. I don't see any problem with it. Use classical music - "music makes you smarter!!"